Using Non-Invasive Scanning for Envelope Assessments with LiDAR Enhanced Diagnostics and Air Infiltration Results (UNSEALED-AIR)

Lead Performer: Hearth Labs Solutions Inc. – New York, NY
Partners:
-- GTI Energy - Des Plaines, IL
-- Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory – Berkeley, CA
-- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Washington, DC
-- Accurate‐Airtight Exteriors – Madison, WI
DOE Total Funding: $1,499,971
Cost Share: $375,249
Project Term: January 1, 2024 – January 1, 2026
Funding Type: Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) – 2022/23

Project Objective

This project utilizes a non‐invasive diagnostic tool that combines thermal imaging and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to identify, locate, and categorize air infiltration leaks in commercial building envelopes. The project will expand the capabilities of Hearth Labs’ commercially available 3D thermal-LiDAR sensor to analyze building enclosures. The project team will develop and validate a machine learning model to diagnose air leakage accurately across various construction conditions, materials, means, and methods. Compared to current state‐of‐the‐art technology, the UNSEALED‐AIR technology will improve labor productivity, eliminate occupant disruption, locate individual leaks, provide detailed results in automatically generated reports, and reduce infiltration test costs by 1‐2 orders of magnitude. Project objectives include: 

1. Identifying building envelope leakage from Hearth Labs’ 3D thermal data sets.
2. Accurately categorizing the severity of this infiltration/exfiltration.
3. Improving the tools’ current scanning speed to achieve 0.05 seconds/square feet of envelope area.   
4. Validating and demonstrating UNSEALED‐AIR's performance in real‐world field tests.   

Project Impact 

This project will overcome the high cost of measuring infiltration in commercial buildings with conventional blower door tests, increase labor productivity, and reduce equipment costs—improving affordability for consumers and economics for providers. Automated reports will highlight and rank areas of concern by severity, resulting in site assessments that cost hundreds of dollars rather than tens of thousands of dollars. These reports will inform contractor scopes of work for retrofit projects and increase adoption of energy conservation measures and commercial weatherization. The project will also explore integrating the UNSEALED-AIR tool into electric and gas utilities' energy-efficiency programs, which target energy conservation measures relevant to building envelopes, HVAC systems, and behavior-based programs.

Contacts

DOE Technology Manager: Sven Mumme
Lead Performer: Nicholas Houchois, Hearth Labs Solutions Inc.